Air cleaners and purifiers are widely used for removing foreign substances from air. The foreign substances can include pollen, dander, smoke, pollutants, dust, etc. In addition, an air cleaner can be used to circulate room air. An air cleaner can be used in many settings, including at home, in offices, etc.
One type of air cleaner is an electrostatic precipitator. An electrostatic precipitator operates by creating an electrical field. Dirt and debris in the air becomes ionized when it is brought into the electrical field by an airflow. Charged positive and negative electrodes in the electrostatic precipitator air cleaner, such as positive and negative plates or positive and grounded plates, create the electrical field and one of the electrode polarities attracts the ionized dirt and debris. Periodically, the electrostatic precipitator can be removed and cleaned. Because the electrostatic precipitator comprises electrodes or plates through which airflow can easily and quickly pass, only a low amount of energy is required to provide airflow through the electrostatic precipitator. As a result, foreign objects in the air can be efficiently and effectively removed without the need for a mechanical filter element.
In the prior art, a typical electrostatic precipitator cell is mass produced. The prior art electrostatic precipitator cell includes multiple plates and is typically formed out of stamped sheet metal. The plates are commonly welded or crimped together to form some manner of fixed structure. Alternatively, the plates are assembled into some manner of end frame portions that include a plurality of slots or grooves that receive and trap the ends of the plates. As a result, the prior art electrostatic precipitator cell is specially designed for a particular implementation, including the number of plates, the plate spacing and voltage requirements, the overall physical size and shape, etc.
The prior art has several drawbacks. The prior art electrostatic element is formed of permanently attached components in a fixed spacing. The assembled size and/or tolerance of a prior art electrostatic precipitator therefore cannot be adjusted or controlled. A prior art welding or crimping manufacturing method results in an electrostatic precipitator cell that cannot be tailored to various applications. In addition, the welding operation can cause warping of electrode plates. The prior art electrostatic precipitator cell cannot be constructed with varying numbers of plates. The prior art electrostatic precipitator cell cannot be assembled for a custom or specialized application.